Maybe He Knows What It's Like
by sheikgohanfreak
Summary: Gaz is going through tough times with no one there for her, but can she discover someone who's in the same circumstance? ZAGR!, but don't worry, there is plenty of Dib! Better explenations inside !CHAPTER 19 UP! I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD.
1. Opened just a little

Hey, all you fanfiction readers. I've decided to start writing Zim fanfics! Yay! Ok, here's the scenario: Dib is sixteen, Gaz is fifteen, and Zim's age is unknown. Zim's disguise is different, and is more normal looking. He knows that he was sent to Earth to die. Dib and Zim are now friends instead of enemies. Gaz is still the usual gothic-closed-up girl that we all know. I'll leave you all there and I hope you enjoy the story! ^_^ (By the by...this is a ZAGR! ^__^)  
  
Running and crying, I passed Dib and Zim who were walking home together, ranting on how much better they were than each other, jokingly of course (sort of a mockery on how they used to look at each other.) I had no idea that Dib and Zim had ignored me on purpose to let me be alone. Usually they meddle in my feelings and won't leave me until they know my problems.  
  
I ran past the Membrane household, past the lab down the street, and to the playground I played on for as long as I could remember until I was ten years old. I still gave it visits when I wanted to be alone, or wanted some down time. Still crying, I sat down on the rusty swing set, and reached for my skull necklace so I could yank on it a little, just to make sure it was there. I cried just a bit more when I discovered that it wasn't there.  
  
To me, the necklace meant a lot because my mother had given it to me a day before she died. The thought of it only put more weight on my mind.  
  
Why was I crying? Oh, yes, now I remember. I had figured out that there was no one in the world for me. It had all began that morning when I was passed by a car that had the guy that I liked and some cheerleader in it. He had his arm around her waist, and she was leaning on him. It was sickening to know that the guy had actually talked to me, and I gave him my number when he asked for it. Then when I got to school, I saw my brother and his girlfriend hugging one another and walking around holding hands. At the end of my school day, I was teased and told that I was trash that no one would accept. I'm usually not upset by those things, but for some reason, today it did.  
  
I started to wipe tears away frantically as I heard someone coming, but before my tear wiping was done, Zim had come and sat on the swing beside me.  
  
"Oh, h-hi, Zim," I said shakily as my voice cracked.  
  
"Here," a gloved hand that clenched a skull necklace was thrusted just inches in front of my nose. "Dib-human has offered me a deal. He proposed that if I go and give this to you, he will let me use some of his tools."  
  
I took it out of his hand and more tears started to fall. "Th-thanks, Zim. Sorry I'm not myself today...I'm just not...feeling well, I guess."  
  
"You don't look like yourself, either, Gaz-human. What has caused you to weep?" he actually sounded concerned.  
  
"It doesn't matter. No one cares, and no one will care," I said, looking down, letting a few more tears fall down my face.  
  
"Obviously it does if it made you cry. I don't know much about human emotions, but over the years, I have learned that crying means something's wrong. Zim wants to know what is wrong," he said.  
  
So much for thinking that they were gonna leave me alone today. "Well...if you must know...I have come to realize that I am completely alone. Dib doesn't care that much about me, my mom left and died, and my father doesn't believe that there's anything wrong with us. He just pretends that everything's ok, and that we're all right." I cried harder. "It's just not fair...I didn't ask for any of this."  
  
"I didn't ask to be sent to an unknown planet to die, did I?" he said, standing up. I looked up because he was now a good six feet tall.  
  
"No, I guess."  
  
"Am I crying about it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then if I don't cry about my misfortunes, you don't either," he said, smirking. "Now, c'mon, get up," he said, taking my hands, and pulling me up without waiting for me to say anything.  
  
"Why can't I stay here and wallow in my tears and sorrow?" I asked, sitting back down.  
  
"Because I don't want to be annoyed by your brother with his stupid worries."  
  
"Well, too bad. I'm not going," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
"If Zim says so you are."  
  
"Make me."  
  
"Gladly," he stated, and then picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.  
  
"Hey! No fair!" I pounded on his back until he put me down.  
  
"Then you'll come with me?"  
  
"Yea, I guess."  
  
What was wrong with me? I wonder and still ponder to this day why I had opened myself up to Zim, why I had let him play around with me, and why I agreed to walk home with him that day. I guess I'll have to chalk it up to having so much happen to me in one day.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next school day, which was Monday, I was back to my old, closed up dark self. With my Game Slave VII in hand, I walked down the street in between Dib and Zim, who were silent, and the only sound that could be heard were the beeps of my Game Slave.  
  
"So, Gaz, why were you crying yesterday?" my brother asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose.  
  
"Does it matter, Dib?" I said without looking up.  
  
"I am a bit concerned since you ran off crying, and then when you came home, you didn't stay around for dinner. You just went up to your room and locked the door."  
  
"How did you know my door was locked, Dib? Were you trying to come in?"  
  
"Well, yes...I...ya know, never mind. It's probably none of my business anyways," he said, sounding nervous.  
  
"Good. Let's keep-" I was about to finish my sentence when all of a sudden, I dropped my Game Slave and cried out in pain. My head throbbed as I tried to manage the sharp pain that was going through my chest.  
  
"Gaz!" I heard my brother scream.  
  
I started breathing hard when I started stumbling around, dizzily. The image of an old neighborhood and gray skies became blurred together as my head spun. I finally fell and blacked out when I felt the blurry world around me stop and come to a screeching halt.  
  
Yes! A cliffy! MUWAHAHAHAH!!!! Umm...if you want to review, you can. It would be greatly appreciated if you did, but hey, I'm not going to beg you! It's your choice! ^____^ Happy reading, and if you're into Legend of Zelda, check out my other fics. 


	2. Wanted and akward silence

Lights. Bright lights everywhere. They were burning into my eyes when I opened them, and I felt like they were piercing into my soul. I groaned as I tried to get up, and failed miserably.  
  
"Hello...anybody?" I asked into the silence, meekly.  
  
"Don't move, Gaz, we'll be done in a second."  
  
"Who...?"  
  
"Zim's just doing a scan on your body," Dib said. I finally recognized his voice.  
  
"Why...?"  
  
"You fainted...remember?"  
  
"Dib? Where...where are you?"  
  
"Right here," he said, and took my hand.  
  
The bright lights shut off then, and I sat up slowly, gently pulling my hand away from Dib. I saw Zim appear on the other side of the table I was on.  
  
"I can't seem to find anything wrong, so-" Zim was trying to talk to Dib, but I wouldn't bother to let him finish.  
  
"Can anyone bother to tell me what happened?" I asked, getting up. "And why are we at Zim's house? And why was I being 'scanned' as you so call it?"  
  
"If you must know," Zim started, "we were trying to check and see if anything was wrong with you. You did black out, and fall down."  
  
"It started to rain, too." Dib added.  
  
I was about to yell at Dib and Zim out of pure anger, for the fact that my head was throbbing was making me irritated, but I was interrupted by GIR, who jumped on my shoulders and squealed, holding a rubber pig.  
  
"Dammit, GIR, if you don't get off of me-" I said, gritting my teeth.  
  
"Gazzy! Wanna cupcake?! Master says that you are bee-yoo-tee-ful! Your hair smells like purple!" the little SIR unit remained on my shoulders until I picked him up, and set him down on the table.  
  
"GIR! I told you, not to do that!" Zim yelled, and turned a bit of an emerald color.  
  
I heard Dib snicker when I rolled my eyes, and decided that this was my cue to leave. I didn't want to spend the afternoon with Zim and Dib; I wouldn't keep my sanity. I started walking toward a door, which I assumed would take me somewhere else other than the two weirdoes that were here. (I really didn't mind GIR...)  
  
"Where ya goin, Gazzy?" GIR asked me.  
  
"Away from Wingus and Dingus," I said, going through the doorway.  
  
"Wait! Don't go that way!" I heard Zim yell.  
  
I heard thunder rumble outside, and it made me want to run for some reason.  
  
So I ran.  
  
Down the corridors, filled with all sorts of technology, purple walls and green ceilings, and failed attempts at human decor I ran to my delight. It made me feel good, like I was accomplishing something. Like I was actually going somewhere, and the sounds and yells of my brother and Zim chasing me were my energy for getting to the absent somewhere I was going.  
  
I finally stopped when I came to two big, touch-me-not doors that silenced my running. I stared at them for a second, and half listened for the footsteps of my brother and Zim. I couldn't hear them, and that probably meant that I had lost them. Good.  
  
I opened the two touch-me-not doors, by pressing a button on the side of the left door, and they slid open smoothly, making a whirring noise. It was an elevator. An elevator in this house, I thought. I didn't think it was big enough. I walked inside, and looked over to the panel on the wall.  
  
I randomly picked one and the doors started to slowly slide closed. All of a sudden, I heard someone scream, "Nooo!" I looked up, and below and behold, Zim was running toward the elevator. Close, you stupid doors! Close already! I pressed the button rapidly to try to get them to close quicker, but just before they closed, Zim squeezed through and made it into the elevator.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Zim half shouted, and his voice raised an octave.  
  
"I don't know," I said casually.  
  
"Do you realize-" he was interrupted by a clanging noise, and then the elevator stopped. The light went out, dimming the small elevator.  
  
"Are you guys ok?!" I heard Dib yell.  
  
"Fine! What happened?!" Zim yelled back.  
  
"Power outage! I think the whole street went out...damned storm! I'll wait until the power comes back on to go find the main computer, and get you guys out!" Dib yelled.  
  
"Fine! Just don't go anywhere until it does come back on!"  
  
"Ok!"  
  
"Damn...you both yell loud," I said, and sat down Indian style in the corner of the elevator. "So, what's wrong with the elevator?"  
  
"It's new, and I'm still-wait, how the hell did you know there was something wrong with it?" Zim asked me, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"It stopped about a minute before the power went out. I'm not stupid, ya know," I stated plainly, fiddling with a lock of my hair.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"So, what's that GIR said about you saying something about me?" I asked, smirking. I felt like causing chaos for my alien acquaintance.  
  
"That? Oh...well...I-you see-err...he makes things up, and..."  
  
"And?"  
  
"That is to say...I..." he started to turn that emerald color again.  
  
"Never mind, space boy," I said, and folded my knees so they came to my chest. My smirking had stopped, and I now had no expression on my face. I thought for a moment, and then finally spoke, "Were you able to find out why I blacked out?"  
  
"No...there weren't any signs of anything, but it's best if you take it slow. It could happen again any given minute," he said. By now, he had sat down on the other side of the elevator. "And if you don't mind, I'd kind of like to do another scan on you, just to be safe."  
  
"Would it make you angry if I said I did mind?"  
  
"Zim wouldn't be comfortable with it."  
  
"Why wouldn't you? Come to think of it, why are you even bothering?"  
  
"Well...I...Dib wanted me to."  
  
"Whatever," I said, and rolled my eyes.  
  
***  
  
It had been a few hours later, and we had gotten out of the elevator. The power was back on, and Dib and I had made our way home. I went straight to my room, and shut the door. Silence. I needed silence.  
  
And Silence was what I got. 


	3. She walks in midnight beauty

Well, it's Christmas Eve, and I wanna give a few shout- outs....hehehe...shout-out to all of the reviewers...and to Chibiheartdragon (awesome ZAGR! Go read!) Witch King of Bling Bling (luv yer camping trip fic, Mog...so funny!), and TNFP!, and to my best buds Liz and Jessica...I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas...and same to you all! Merry Christmas everyone! God bless you all, and I hope you all look forward to the new year! Now, read on! *runs off to go open presents*  
  
It was the next day, and I had gotten halfway through the school day just fine. That is, until lunch came around. I entered the busy lunchroom and scanned the room for an empty table, or an empty table including my brother. I finally spotted him eating lunch with his girlfriend.  
  
I hated it when he did that. Not that I didn't want them to be together or anything, it's just kind of made me angry that he now spent most of his time with her, and seemed like he completely forgot about me.  
  
I looked around again, and just to my luck, I found only one almost empty table. The person using it: Zim. Maybe he won't notice, I thought. Maybe he won't care if I just take a seat on the end.  
  
Taking a breath, I walked over and took a seat on the end. He noticed me almost immediately, and stared at me. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, folded my arms, and sighed. (I didn't eat lunch...I don't think I was every hungry...)  
  
Finally, he came over and sat across from me. "What are you doing? I've never seen you sit at a table unless it's empty."  
  
"If you must know," I said, hanging my head just a bit lower to where my hair covered the sides of my face, "there wasn't an empty table. I would have sat with my brother, but..." I looked over at Dib, and I started to feel the tiniest lump form in my throat. "I don't think he wants to be bothered."  
  
"No, he doesn't," Zim said. "Ever since he met her, he's been acting funny. You can tell."  
  
"Yes, he has. But I can't do anything about it, so I don't really care. I don't have anyone really bothering with me right now, so why bother trying to fix things?" I felt the lump grow with every word that came out of my mouth. I put my hands on the table and formed them into fists. "I don't really know why I've never noticed it, but ever since...ever since Mom died, he's been acting absorbed with things. It's one thing right after the other, and I have to suffer for it. That's why I'm the way I am, Zim." The tears were coming. "I never used to be this way...I actually used to be happy. Dib used to play with me, Dib used to comfort me, and hell, Dib was actually a brother to me!" Here they come! "But now...now he's left me. I know he's there, but really...the Dib I used to know is gone." They fell. Tears fell wildly, and I knew that they wouldn't stop.  
  
"Gaz...I..."  
  
"I think that the last time he actually cared, was when you first came around. But...I guess he'll never be the same again..." and with that, I got up and left.  
  
***  
  
I was in my room that night when I decided that I needed to get out. I needed to go somewhere where I wouldn't be bothered. Somewhere where I could think. That's it! I thought, I'll go to the park!  
  
So quietly opening my window, I hopped out and climbed down the fence that was on the side of the house for roses to grow on. (Fun fact: There's not any foliage growing! It's all dead!)  
  
The walk to the park was quiet, and the moon shone bright on the smooth pavement of the sidewalk. Even though I felt like someone was watching me, I continued on without alarm.  
  
The absent feeling resided when I got to the park. I looked around, and a feeling of comfort washed over me. Walking to a swing and sitting down, I thought of the events that had all happened since Friday, and tried to put things together. Why were they happening? What could I do?  
  
All of a sudden, I heard something. Footsteps. They were footsteps. Damn. I hated it when my privacy was invaded.  
  
"Look," I said. "Whoever that is, just come out. I'm too tired to deal with people popping out of bushes."  
  
"Wow. Pretty good. I thought you couldn't hear me."  
  
I turned my head around to see Zim standing there.  
  
"It never ends. Why can't I sit in peace?! Do you or Dib ever leave me alone?" I.  
  
"Well, not for now. Why are you here so late, anyways?" he came up behind me and started to push the swing gently.  
  
"To be alone. I was thinking about death and such things, and then maybe killing myself," I said plainly.  
  
"Killing yourself?!" he stopped pushing the swing. "Gaz, you aren't serious!"  
  
"I am. But it's only a thought, Zim. It doesn't mean that it will be carried out."  
  
"Why would you think of such things. Life is so precious, so dear, and you want to throw it all away? Why?"  
  
"It's kind of funny, Zim. You used to be so egotistic, so arrogant, and so bent on domination that you didn't care about life. You just wanted to take over it. Now you care about those things, and it shows how much you've changed," I smirked.  
  
He was stunned for a minute. "And you...you've...uhh...."  
  
"I'm the same, Zim."  
  
"Right..." he said, agreeing with me without sarcasm.  
  
"And I think that-that...I...whoa...." I said, starting to breathe harder.  
  
"You think what, Gaz?" Zim asked.  
  
"Never...never mind..." I said, getting up, and then swerving around and trying to grab the pole that connected to the swing set.  
  
"Gaz?!" Zim cried out, and grabbed my shoulders.  
  
Right before I passed out, I saw the ruby color of Zim's eyes. 


	4. I'm here, you're here, let's be together...

Okay, I'm so sorry for not updating for such a long time! I was waiting for school to be out and stuff, and it was just...bleh! So to make up for it, I have a nice, long chapter for you all. Please enjoy!   
  


* * *

The lights. I saw the lights again, but this time, they seemed to be mocking me. I don't know how or why, but they gave off that feeling of selfish entertainment. The lights were watching me for their own selfish amusement. I scorned them for it mentally, and then sat up. The lights turned off as if I had caught them in the middle of all their selfish antics.  
  
"Hello?" I asked, waiting for Zim to answer.  
  
"Hellllloooooo!!!!" a happy little SIR yelled at the top of his voice box.  
  
"GIR!" I heard Zim yell.  
  
"Hey, GIR," I said, picking him up and setting him beside me. "How are we tonight?"  
  
"Cupcake! And there will be tacooos!! And...Master says that he wishes he knew how to tell you that-"  
  
"GIIIIR!" Zim yelled again.  
  
"Tell me what?" I asked, quirking and eyebrow.  
  
"Never mind him!" Zim said as GIR ran away giggling. "Gaz, I...I've detected something," he said.  
  
I took in a sharp breath, and exhaled shakily. "Zim...tell me...what's wrong with me?" I said in a monotone voice.  
  
"You have a very rare disease...it affects your brain, and anything can happen to you at any given moment. Thus, the reason you are passing out so much. You can also have heart failure, which is why I need to find a cure- fast," he said with worry in his voice.  
  
"That's funny...really funny. Tell me, what's really wrong with me?" I asked, getting angry.  
  
"I'm not being funny. I was being serious!"  
  
"So I...I'm going to die?" I asked meekly.  
  
"No...wait-"Zim said, his fingers flying over a keyboard with clicking sounds to follow, "there's a cure but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"You're not going to believe me, but it's on-"

* * *

"Irk?!" Dib asked out of shock.  
  
"Yes, the only place I can locate it is on Irk," Zim said as I walked between them, feeling a little helpless. It was the next day and we were walking to school.  
  
"So...then...we'll go to Irk!" Dib said. "We can take one of your ships, Zim! It'll...maybe it'll be fun!" I could detect fear in his voice, and it also became shaky.  
  
"Oh yea...it'll be great fun," I said with sarcasm.  
  
"Only one problem..." Zim said.  
  
"What would that be, Zim?" Dib asked.  
  
"I'm banished from Irk..." Zim looked down and sighed.  
  
"Oh yea..." Dib said, looking down.  
  
"And what's going to stop us?" I asked them, stepping in front of them and facing them.  
  
"The Irken guard ships and such that guard the planet!" Zim said.  
  
"And you're not going to give it a try?! C'mon, Zim, I know you better," I said, turning around to walk ahead of them.  
  
"Well...if Dib and I can work on it constantly, we can probably build on to one of the ships I have. They aren't big enough for all of us, so we would have to build onto it," Zim said, looking over at Dib, then back at me.  
  
"I'm up for it," Dib said, looking over at me as well.  
  
"Good," I said, "because I was going to make you if you both didn't decide on something."

* * *

"Dib, I'm going to stop by Zim's house after school because I don't want to bother you and your girlfriend," I said, pulling a few things out of my locker and slamming it shut.  
  
"If you really want to... I don't want to leave you out of anything or anything like that... So if you change your mind, you can tell me. Gaz, just- "he started to talk fast--like I had noticed something I hadn't supposed to.  
  
"Don't worry about me, Dib. I don't feel like I'm being left out. The only thing I want to do is stay out of your guys' way," I said, the anger rising in my voice. "You always spend your time with her, so don't let me get in your way," I walked away, my boots stomping on the tile floor. Dib looked at me as I walked away and sighed.  
  
I walked up to the oddly shaped house and knocked on the purple door. It opened slowly and there stood GIR, with chocolate frosting all over his face and robotic hands. He stared at me for a minute as if he was thinking, and then squealed with delight while pulling out a stuffed pig.  
  
"Mister Piggy wants to meet yoooooouuuuu!" he held out the stuffed pig's arm.  
  
"And I would like to meet Mister Piggy," I said, humoring him. I shook the stuffed pig's arm and then walked past GIR.  
  
GIR walked beside me and stated, "Master's in the fourth floor. Mister Piggy wants to take you there. Can he?" the little SIR unit gleefully handed the pig to me. I started to get annoyed a little bit.  
  
"But Mister Pig wants to stay with you. He told me so himself. Now, go play, because I need to talk to Zim alone, okay?" I said, as if talking to a five year old.  
  
He thought for a minute and then replied, "Okie dokie!"  
  
I walked away from GIR, who was now dancing, and down a hall to a small elevator. Pushing a button, the doors slid open and I stepped inside pressing the fourth button down in a row of buttons. Hoping it was the right button, I waited for the elevator to come to a stop and open its doors. They finally slid open smoothly, and I stepped out of the elevator onto a smooth, glassy floor. The tile was almost see-through, and was a light red color. Looking around, I saw computers with their monitors blinking and numerous beeping sounds could be heard. I took a few steps further and heard the sound of typing coming from somewhere on my right. Looking over, there was Zim, in front of a huge computer, typing away.  
  
The look on his face was determined, and his disguise was still on for some reason. I would have figured that he would have taken it off by now, because I knew he hated wearing it. I carefully walked up behind him and stood there for a minute, quiet as a mouse. Looking over his shoulder, I saw that there were plans and prints all over the monitor that were being sized and numbered. Must be the plans for the ship, I mused.  
  
Reaching out in front of his face smoothly, I took off the wig, and he suddenly stopped his typing.  
  
"Hey, Gaz," he said in a monotone voice. He spun around in his chair to face me.  
I handed the wig back to him.  
  
"What's up?" I asked, looking at him, and then suddenly looking down.  
  
"Just looking at possible plans for the ship," he said. "Don't hang your head. At least not around me," he said, and then his gloved hand reached over and tilted my chin up.  
  
"Okay, only if you'll take your contacts out, though," I said, looking him in the eyes.  
  
"You like my eyes?"  
  
"Yea, sure, they're different. That's why I like them."  
  
"Oh, alright, then," he took his contacts out, and set them aside along with his wig.  
  
"Dib's with his girlfriend, if you're wondering. I hope you don't mind me visiting," I said.  
  
"Of course not, Gaz. You're welcome here anytime," he said, standing up. "Would you like to go my game room? I've taken a liking to the video games over the years, and I find them to be very fun, so I made a room just for playing them."  
  
My eyes widened with interest. "A room just for gaming? That's awesome! I would love to see it!" I said excitedly, following him out of the room. 


	5. Realizations of obliviousness

Okies. Herezza update! Enjoy!

* * *

The vampire hunter walked through a dark and musty house with a wooden stake in his hand, and his long coat waved around with the wind that was blowing from and open window. There was a sound that could be heard if you listened very carefully, and it was getting darker by the minute. All of a sudden-WHAM! The hunter was exterminated by a vampire, and the words "GAME OVER" flashed over and over on the screen.  
  
"I can never get past that level," Zim said, putting the controller down. He took a sip of his Poop Cola and set the now empty can beside him.  
  
"It's hard for me if I'm not paying enough attention," I said. I opened another can of Poop Cola and took a large guzzle. "You know, I could live off of this stuff. This, and pizza," I looked over at GIR, who was now spinning on his head.  
  
Zim also looked at GIR and smiled slightly, shaking his head while saying, "He never gets tired of doing the same things over and over. It's a wonder he's made it this long."  
  
"I see," I said, watching GIR for a moment longer and then stood up and stretched.  
  
Zim did the same. "Wanna go to Bloaty's?"  
  
"What? Now?" I yawned and looked at him.  
  
"No, in a couple of weeks. Of course now!" he laughed.  
  
"Umm...sure, I guess. But I'm pretty sure that Dib would be there with his girlfriend. That's all they do. Go to the movies, stay at the house, or go to Bloaty's. Bleh...couldn't we order?"  
  
"Sure, that sounds even better. Sometimes, even though I've grown to love it here, I hate some of the people."  
  
"I do too, so don't worry," I said, and smiled lightly.  
  
Zim went over to a phone and picked it up, dialing the number for Bloaty's. "I'd like a large pepperoni pizza... yeah... right. Okay, thanks," he said, and then hung up the phone. "Should be here in about fifteen minutes."  
  
"Okay, cool," I said, and then sat back down. Zim did the same and we sat there in silence for a minute. I then decided to start some conversation. "Can I ask you something, Zim?"  
  
"Go for it," he said.  
  
"Do you like anyone? I mean...well, you know what I mean."  
  
"Hmm...I do, in-fact."  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'm...not so sure."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Just my uncertainty of it all. I'd like to tell him, but I don't know if it's me he likes," I said, looking down.  
  
"What's he like?" Zim then asked, sounding curious.  
  
_WAIT! Did I just...I don't like anyone! But...Oh...Damn. I do like him...shit. When did this happen?_ I was having a mental rant, and then I stopped and realized I should calm down and accept it. I liked Zim. "Well...umm...he's tall. And he's..."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"He's very smart, and he's sort of different. What's the girl you like like?"  
  
"She's beautiful in every way, and she-"  
  
"SHE LOOOVES DA PIZZA!!!" I heard GIR yell. He came in and jumped between us holding the pig that he had showed me when I came into the house.  
  
"GIR!" Zim yelled.  
  
GIR suddenly stopped. "Yes, master?"  
  
"Please, I was trying to talk. Would you like to take your play elsewhere?" Zim asked sweetly to the little SIR unit.  
  
"But I wanna stay with Gazzy," he said, and scooting up into my lap.  
  
"GIR, what did I-"  
  
"It's fine," I said, looking down at GIR.  
  
"You don't mind him?" Zim asked.  
  
"Not at all. He's actually kinda cute," I said, giving GIR a small pat on the head.  
  
"Master says that you're cute!" GIR suddenly said.  
  
"GIR! I didn't...I mean I meant to...Oh, damn," Zim stuttered as he looked down, a dark green color now spreading through his cheeks.  
  
I looked over at Zim sympathetically. "Zim, it's okay, because I-"I stopped suddenly because I began to feel woozy.  
  
"What, Gaz?" Zim asked, beginning to sound worried.  
  
"I feel woozy..." I said, and got up. "I think I should go home..."  
  
"No, you shouldn't," Zim said, and came and stood in front of me.  
  
"I'm not feeling well all of a sudden, let me go home, Zim," I protested.  
  
"Chances are you could pass out again."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Please, Gaz...I would feel a lot better if you stayed a little bit longer," he said. I noticed the sincere worry in his voice.  
  
"Alright...only another hour. Then I go home," I said. We sat back down for a couple of more minutes waiting for our dinner. I was trying to think of something to say, but I couldn't. It seemed that there was nothing more to say. In the midst of the silence, I absentmindedly leaned my head on Zim's shoulder. I felt him tense up, but then he relaxed, and we sat in the silence together, enjoying every minute of it. 


	6. I think I'm getting the picture

Well...what can I say? It's been over a year since I started this story, and I must say it has come a long way. It isn't near over, so don't worry. If you want to know why I have made such scarce updates, please check my bio. I'd like to thank a few people...first of all, thank you God for anything and everything, and thank you for the wonderful family I have that I love dearly. Liz, I'm so glad you're my best friend, and I hope that it'll always be that way. Glenn, I love you so much! Bekka, Brittany, I hope things will be the same at school again someday soon. And thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers who I hope will keep reviewing. A big thanks to Chibiheartdragon, who has encouraged me to continue updating. I almost forgot about it at one point. Anyway, here is the next chapter that I hope you all will like. It's not much, but I think it will be enough to get readers interested in it again. Thank you all so much, and please review.

* * *

I woke up the next morning in my own bed, and I wondered how I had gotten there. I had remembered the night before, and quickly sat up. "What the...how did I get here?" I asked to no one in particular.

"I brought you here because Dib stopped by last night, wondering why you weren't home. You were still asleep." I looked over, and was a little surprised to see Zim sitting at the end of my bed.

"Oh...ok...were you watching me sleep?!" I asked, wondering how long he had been there.

"Umm...no."

"Don't lie."

"It was only for a minute, I swear. I was just seeing if you were okay..." he said guiltily.

"Right..." I said.

"Hey, you guys," Dib said, walking into the room.

"Good morning, Dib, did you have a nice evening?" I asked him.

"Uh...yeah, it was fine," Dib said, as though he wasn't sure if I was being mean or nice to him. "You?"

"Peachy," I said, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I stood up and stretched, and then walked over to my closet. I opened it, and picked out a black tank top, a fish net over shirt, and dark purple pants. I set the clothes on my bed, and then walked past Zim and Dib and down the hall to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" I heard Zim ask.

"To take a shower," I said, and shut the door, locking it.

* * *

That afternoon, we were all over at Zim's house, and he and Dib were working on building the ship. I was sitting on a table, next to a computer, with GIR on the other side of me, and was watching them work. _They're doing this all for me...Why?_ I thought.

"Gazzy, do you like Master?" GIR suddenly asked.

I looked down to the little SIR unit, "Why?" I asked him.

"Master likes you," GIR said.

"H-he does?" I asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Yuppers. But he won't play with piggy...PIGGY loooooooooovvvvvvvves to PLAY!!!" he shouted, and then ran off giggling.

I watched him run away, and then stood up quietly to walk over to Zim and Dib who were still working on the ship.

"How's it coming?" I asked.

"Fine," I heard Dib say.

"Hand me that screwdriver," I heard Zim say, and his hand came up from behind a chunk of metal. His index finger extended, pointing to a screwdriver on a small table that was behind me. I turned around and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said, and pulled his arm back down.

"You guys going to take a break?" I asked them.

"Yea, in about another thirty minutes," Dib said.

"Oh, alright," I said, going to sit back down. _I think this is going to be a long day..._I thought to myself. "Hey...you guys?" I asked quietly.

The sound of a wrench tightening a bolt stopped. "Yes?" I heard Zim say.

"How long will you guys exactly take to build this?" I asked curiously.

"At this rate...a week and a half," Zim stated plainly.

"But...what if I...what if I don't...make it..." I said meekly.

"You will, Gaz. I know you will," Dib commented.

My heart started to race a little bit. "But, Zim...didn't you say that we needed to find the cure fast?"

"True, but I think that you're brother is right," he said reassuringly.

I was silent. _Maybe Dib really does care..._ I thought quietly. "I'll be back in a minute, you guys..." I said, walking off. I could feel another lump forming in my throat. "Don't cry... Don't cry... Don't cry, Gaz, you idiot..." I said to myself, while tears formed in my eyes. I made my way into Zim's house, hopefully to find a bathroom somewhere. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one, so I ran into a stray room.

It looked like all the others in his house: purple walls, green ceilings, and electronic devices, except there was one thing different. The pictures. There were pictures of all kinds, including pictures of him, pictures of me, pictures of Zim, Dib, and me, and some of them even had GIR in them. Some were framed, and some were taped to the wall. Some were enlarged, some were tiny, and some were just regular sized. I stopped and looked around in awe at all the pictures, but there was one that caught my eye. It was one of myself, and I was lying on my bed. I seemed to be in a deep slumber, and I was holding my skull necklace in one hand. "Where did he get this...?" I asked to no one in particular.

"It is pretty...isn't it?" I heard a familiar voice ask.


	7. We've fallen in Love, We've fallen in Lo...

"I guess so," I said as solemnly as I could. "Where did you get these, Zim?" I asked.

"I took them," he said meekly as he looked down at his boots.

"How long have you been taking these, Zim? Has my life just been one giant show to you? Have you been stalking me!" I asked, a little anger within my voice.

"No… It's just that I-"

"You what, Zim? Am I your obsession or something?"

"Let me finish!" he said sternly. "Gaz, I've taken these pictures because I…well…I think I'm in love with you," he finished quietly, still looking down.

"You…what?" I asked in disbelief. "No…no, that's not right. No one should love me. I'm Gaz. Gaz Membrane, the quiet, anti-social, dark, demented, insane, bitchy girl who's always wrapped up in her video games. The same Gaz Membrane who can't be happy at all, and the same Gaz that no one will ever except or like. That's the way it's been, that's the way it will be," I said, saying my feelings out loud. (That's something that hasn't been done in awhile…and you're here to witness it! Lucky you!)

"What are you saying?" Zim asked in shock.

"I'm saying that I'm someone who doesn't deserved to be loved," I said weakly, tears forming in my eyes.

"You, dear Gaz, have every right to be loved. You need more than most, in fact," he said, coming closer to me.

"Why? My own family doesn't give a damn about me. Why should anyone else?"

"Everyone should have at least one source of love."

"How would you know? If I can remember right, there isn't love where you come from, is there?"

"No, but that's not the point. Where I'm from and what my native kind do is all in the past. I'd like to forget ever being apart of that, and I hope to never permanently go back there. What matters is who I'm with now, what I've learned from being on Earth, and let me tell you, I've learned a whole lot," he said, and was now standing less than a foot in front of me. "I've learned that there are some things that you just can't live without, and one of those things is love. It's a wondrous thing, it really is, you know?"

"No, I wouldn't know," I said, my voice shaky and my lips quivering.

"It's a comforting thing. It's one of the best things you'll ever feel, I promise. I know because I'm in love, and I'm happy to know that I'm in love with you," he said simply, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Are you sure?" I asked, a tear falling from my cheek. "Are you sure it's not something false? Something you'll be done and over with within a week or so? Are you positive you want to be in love with someone like me?"

"As positive as I'll ever be," he said while tilting my head up with one hand, and wiping away the tear with his thumb.

"Alright," I said, letting a few more tears flow freely. "If you're really sure you are…"

"I am."

"Then I need to tell you something. Last night…the person I was talking about…I was talking about you."

"I figured that," he said, his smile growing wider.

"Figures," I said, forming a small smile of my own. I looked into his eyes as he looked into mine. Our faces grew closer and closer very slowly, and I think that I knew what was coming. My arms encircled his neck over his shoulders as his arms snaked their way around my waist. And then there was that one moment where everything suddenly seemed perfect, and I suddenly forgot about everything that was wrong. Then…I think time stopped as our lips softly met, giving me this feeling of something similar to electricity, and it was the greatest thing I had felt in awhile.

Then I realized, not only did I like Zim…I think I had fallen in love for the first time.

Unbeknownst to Zim and I, there was an audience to this little revelation of ours. Dib grinned as he walked away from the door, and down the hall, leaving us alone. 'I'm so happy she's found someone…' he thought to himself. 'My little sister is finally feeling something I thought she would never be able to feel.' He was beaming with joy for his younger sister. GIR had also been watching with Dib and was now walking along with him.

"Why are they makin' kissy faces?" GIR asked the trench coat-clad teenager.

"They love each other," Dib said simply to the little SIR unit.

"Yay! Now master won't be so lonely now!" GIR said happily.

"Neither will Gaz," Dib said hopefully. He laughed quietly as GIR squealed and ran off in bliss.

* * *

Please R&R. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed that chapter. (Yes, the chapter title is a part from a song by The Used. I don't own it, don't make no money off of it, so don't sue. Oh, and I don't own Invader Zim either. ) 


	8. Evil Plot of a Vengeful Rival

Zim, Dib, GIR, and I walked quietly down the sidewalk, a sort of funny kind of silence between us. After a hard day of working on the ship, we were all on our way to Bloaty's. I knew that Dib had seen what had happened between Zim and I the other day, but none of us would talk about it, and I wondered why. I suppose that Zim holding my hand at that moment said it enough as we walked in the eerie silence. _Or maybe Dib has something to tell us…he is acting funny…_ I mused quietly to myself.

"I'm meeting my girlfriend at Bloaty's," Dib finally said, breaking the odd silence.

"Oh, so that's why you've been strangely quiet," I said to him, smirking.

"I guess so," he said. "You guys really haven't met her, have you?"

"I don't even know her name," Zim said, sounding deprived.

"Her name is Mira," he said, "Mira Redavin-"

"Mira who?" Zim asked quickly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Redavin. Anyway, you guys would like her, I'm sure," Dib said nervously.

"Yes, I'm sure," Zim repeated, sounding a bit cautious. I noticed this quickly, wondering what he was acting that way about, and it reminded me of how he used to act.

"And how long has she gone to our school, Dib?" Zim asked with curiosity.

"Well…since about last year…." he said, thinking. "Why?"

"No reason…just curious," Zim said squinting his eyes a little. "Just curious."

I looked at him oddly, a feeling of doubt washing over me. _Don't go back to that way, Zim..._ I murmured to myself in my mind. We kept walking, coming into the busy part of the city, and I noticed that everything had this odd silence to it. We came to the building that had the giant pig on the top saying "Bloaty's Pizza Hog" and it was holding a greasy slice of pizza. We stepped inside to find the place oddly deserted, except for a family that was sitting in the middle of the restaurant, and a blonde skinny girl that was sitting in a booth at the corner. She looked up, sending a small smile towards Dib.

"Mira!" Dib said, almost running over to her and hugging her.

"Dibby!" she squealed, making a sound that made me flinch. I watched as the two hugged each other and then sat down. _Any sweeter and I'd have diabetes…_I thought to myself, feeling disgusted. "Where have you been?"

"Working on a sh-I mean, car. For Zim," he added quickly.

"Yes, my car," Zim said casually as he sat down after me.

"What's wrong with it?" Mira asked to Zim, a sound of bitterness in her voice.

"The brakes are messed up," Zim said, squinting his eyes again.

"You mean the brakes are messed up on your ship?!" Mira practically screamed, waving a bony finger at Zim. "Invader Zim! I knew I'd find you! I just knew I would!" she yelled angrily.

"Wha…?" I asked, looking at the both of them with a blank stare.

"Invader Mira! What the hell are you doing here?!" Zim shouted, standing up.

"Looking for you, obviously!...Word on Irk is that you're coming back…" Mira said quietly.

"…How…" Zim stood there, at a loss for words.

"Your house still has a camera hooked up to where the Tallests would communicate with you. One day they looked back to laugh…saw how tall you had gotten…and now they spy. They spy constantly, you worm," Mira said, her voice filled with venom.

"So they…no, they couldn't have. There's no way there was still a camera somewhere, I got rid of it all," Zim said in disbelief.

"This one was permanent," she said. "Why do you want to come back, anyway?"

"I have my reasons," Zim said cautiously.

"Well, whatever they are…I'm stopping you now. You can't come back, and I swore to them I wouldn't let you," Mira said proudly.

"What are they paying you? Don't you realize that if I go back there, I don't want to stay? I've changed…"

"Enough. I'm not stupid, Zim. For all we know, you could just be saying that."

"Have you seen me lately?"

"Err…shut up!" she yelled. "I'm asking you now if you wish to stop your plans and forget about coming to Irk."

"Let me think about it…" Zim said, putting his hand on his chin. "No."

"It's your funeral," she stated plainly. "C'mon, Dib, let's go." She grabbed Dib's hand and punched a few buttons into her watch.

"Mira, you need to-" Zim stopped as she disappeared with Dib. "stop," he said quietly to himself.

"Umm…fill me in?" I asked.

Zim let out a long, stressful sigh. "Mira…I've known her for a long time. Sort of a rival, if you will. After Impending Doom One, she swore revenge on me because I sort of…killed her brother. It wasn't on purpose, he was just being stupid and in the way of things, and well…of the one hundred and fifty years I've known her…she's never gotten over it. How the Tallests found her and wanted her to do this-I don't know. Now…now I don't know what she's going to do, but we have to get going. I'm sure Dib will slow her down, but we have to get to Irk before she does."

"Wait wait wait…" I said. "What about the ship?"

"We can take a voot cruiser if we hurry."

"Won't that be a bit cramped?"

"Gaz, we can't worry about comfort right now," he looked at his watch. "She may already be on her way. We have to hurry if you want the cure, and I want you to have the cure,"

"So I really have no say in this, huh? And wait…how old are you exactly?"

He stopped and thought for a minute, then started to tap buttons on his watch. "Six hundred and twenty," he said in between taps. "In your earth years that would be about…seventeen and a half."

"Oh…" I said blankly, waiting for him to finish.

"Yes…Now, lets go before she can get in our way. Your brother should hopefully slow her down as well," he said, stepping outside while motioning me to follow. I did so, and then he suddenly grabbed my arm and began to run. I looked at him oddly as we were running, wondering why he was so calm. "He's got to be hiding something…keeping something back…" I mumbled to myself as we ran all the way to Zim's house.

I leaned against a wall, waiting for Zim to prepare our transportation, and also trying to catch my breath. GIR cam zooming out of the house, eager to see Zim. He spotted me and hovered over, a confused look on his face.

"Gazzy, where's master?" he asked in his robotic, yet childish voice.

"Getting the voot cruiser ready," I said to him, wondering if that was a concept to hard to understand for the SIR unit.

"Oh…" he said. "Do I get to come?"

I smiled softly at the innocent robot. "Of course."

"Yay!" he cheered, and stopped suddenly when the roof of Zim's house parted, revealing a voot cruiser. It roared to life, and came down onto the yard smoothly.

"Hop in!" Zim said as the top opened.

I climbed in, sitting halfway into the seat as Zim punched buttons, making the roof his house and the roof of the voot cruiser close.

"Hiya," I said as I was crammed next to Zim in the cruiser, our bodies almost crushed together.

"Hey," he said calmly, pressing a few more buttons, and then stopping.

The ship was starting to fly out of the atmosphere, and into darkness and stars.

"It's beautiful," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Yes…" he said, "but so are you. Anyway, it'll be a bit of a long ride, so…"

"Hmm?"

"You should probably get some sleep," he said and kissed my forehead.

I blushed a little. "Yes, that sounds…nice…" I said softly before drifting into a light sleep.

* * *

Mmmk. That's Chapter eight for ya. Hoped you liked it. May take awhile for me to write the next one...I dunno...just keep checking back. Thanks for the reveiws. Hoping to get to one hundred. Anyway...hope you like the next chapter.


	9. My way or the     asteroid feild?

"Mira, what are you doing?! Are you insane?" Dib cried, running over to Mira, who was over by the window of her Irken ship. "Take me back! I can't do this with you."

"Dib…don't you love me?" she asked, and looked at him with lonely, lavender orbs. "I can't let Zim win…I have to avenge my brother. I don't know if you can understand that, but I need you to help me. You know where he's going, and you know his weaknesses… Help me…"

"Mira, you know I love you, but…Zim isn't doing what you think he's doing. He's just trying to help my sister and-"

"Don't give me that! You're on his side, aren't you? I thought I could make you understand, but no!" she yelled and stomped, her boots making a heavy dull clinking sound on the floor of the ship.

"My sister is going to die!" Dib yelled. "I just wanna save my sister, and I'll stop you if I have to!"

"You're not being fair! Zim killed my brother, Dib, he killed him!"

"I'm sorry, Mira, but I don't think he did it on purpose, and-"

"Just shut up! You're not helping anything…" Mira said shakily, and slowly started to reach down to her belt, which was loaded with a few guns.

"M-Mira…what are you doing…?" Dib asked with wide eyes. He started taking steps back when he suddenly hit a wall.

"I'm sorry, Dib, but I can't let you stop me…" she held the gun shakily, the tip of it pointed at him. "I'm going to have to put you to sleep for awhile…"

"You're going to kill me?!" he said in a panicked voice.

"No, I'm not going to do that…"

"Then what-"

"Sweet dreams, Dib," she said coldly, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

My eyes jerked open, and I looked around the small cruiser, only to see the stars still surrounding us. I could hear GIR playing in the compartment above us, his childish squeals comforting me a little. I looked over and saw Zim in a sleep of his own. His arms were around me, and he was smiling in his sleep. His ruby eyes opened slightly, and met with my auburn ones.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Are we almost there yet?" I asked him.

He looked around, spotting the chart in front of the ship. "We still have a little ways to go…so we're about halfway there," he said.

"Oh, okay," I said, and was quiet for a minute. "Hey, Zim?"

"Yes?"

"How come you changed so drastically?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean from the way you used to be. You used to be so hell bent on controlling everything, you know?"

"Well…I guess it was something like a revelation. I actually started to look at how things on Earth were, and I realized that I wasn't ever going to get anywhere acting like that. Plus, it was getting really tiring trying to argue and fight with your brother, so I thought what the hell, and now I feel so much better about everything. I'm happy with the way I live, I love the freedom thing, and I feel like I can do anything and everything. That's all I really need in life-just to live. Life is like a river, Gaz, you can't throw rocks in it."

"Never thought about it that way," I said.

"You'd be surprised on how many different ways you can look at things."

"I see…but do you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being the so called 'invader.'"

"Not really…it's sort of a lonely life. The only person I really had was GIR, but he's not the understanding type."

"I can tell. Hey, Zim?" I asked again.

"Hmm?"

"I want to thank you for all that you've done for me. No one's ever really done anything for me…you know what it's like to be alone…"

"It's not an easy thing, but I'm glad I could be the one to be there for you."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't want to be there for anyone but you," he said and kissed my forehead again.

I smiled inside and out, happy at the moment, then my smile faded as a giant mass of what seemed like brown rocks started to appear in front of the ship.

"Hey, Zim…" I said quietly.

"Yes…?" he said, looking at the same thing I was looking at.

"Are those…"

"Asteroids," he stated sternly, moving his arms to press some more buttons.


	10. The Moose Lives

OMFG!1111111! LIK OMG LOL!111111111111111 I'M UPDATING!1111111111111! UPDATE IS TEH R0X0RS!11111111111111111! I GOT TEH M4D SKILLZ!1111111111111!

* * *

"Ow…" Dib said groggily as he tried to focus on the blurry objects around him. The room seemed to spin slowly, and pain creeped into his head at the same rate. As things were coming into focus, he didn't like what he saw. From the looks of things, he was still on Mira's ship, and he was locked up somewhere on it without a way out. He ran frantically to a wall with a tiny circular window. All that stared back at him were twinkling, little stars.

"Figures…" he said to himself quietly. "Gaz, I hope you make it there ok… Take care of her, Zim-she means a lot to me." He sat down in the corner of the room and started thinking, plans forming in his mind. "If they get there before we do…and if they can get past the Tallests, in time…we'll have enough-no, that won't work," he said with a sigh. "There's no way that they could get me in time to escape without getting hurt. Unless…I could meet them in there…" he stroked his chin accordingly. "Mira wanted me to help her…that's my only ticket out of here and back to Earth," he mused. "So, in order to get her off the ship…and in order to distract her..." he finished with his logic in a dark tone. "I'll have to join her."

* * *

GIR buzzed about the tiny open space above the teenage lover's heads. "We're all gonna diiieeeeeee!" he squealed happily. "Everybody do the death dance!" he started jumping about again, dodging the pair of teens.

"What are-we supposed-to do?" I said as the tiny ship was bounced and tossed about.

"Just try to hang on while I steer us out of this!" Zim said shakily as he swatted at the steering lever, trying to veer it to the right, almost failing.

"Hang on-to what!" Gaz asked as she clutched onto Zim's waist, trying to steady herself.

"Anything!" Zim cried, steering them jaggedly throughout the field of asteroids.

The voot cruiser veered left, then right, then straight again, suddenly leveling itself out, making everything still and quiet.

"Did it…stop?" Gaz asked, looking up at Zim.

"I think so…" came Zim's answer.

"DON'T YOU DIE ON ME!" GIR screamed, wildly shaking a rubber moose around and pounding on the poor thing like there was no tomorrow. "I LOOOOOVE YOU!" he cried fake tears, holding the moose close to him. He squeezed it once and it squeaked. "You's alive!" he said gleefully and hugged it even tighter.

"And that's that," Zim said, looking back to Gaz. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Good," he gave a small smile, then looked over to a radar that was on the main control panel. "It seems we're closer Irk than I thought…"

"Mira!" Dib yelled out if the little window, midway into the door. "Mira, baby, I'm sorry!" he called out to her again.

He heard the clomp of her boots come down the hall and stop at the door. She unlocked it and slid in, closing it again, making sure he didn't try to run past her. "Are you ready to cooperate?" she asked, almost in a seductive way.

"It was wrong of me to do that to you…I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…I guess I was just scared," he lied.

"I forgive you, Dib. Will you help me?" she asked him, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course I will," he said, cupping a hand under her chin, "Anything for you."

"Oh, thank you, Dib. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you. We can get there before Zim does, and we can stop him," she said gleefully with an evil smirk on her face, "together. We can stop him together. Isn't that what you've always wanted to do?"

"Of course, Mira."

"And we'll make sure he doesn't ever bother us again," she said, laughing manically.

"So what are the plans?"

"Well, we're going to get to Irk first and we'll wait for Zim there. Then, we'll have a few of my close friends rounded up, that way he won't have a chance. We'll destroy him, I'll avenge my brother, and victory will finally be mine. The infamous Zim will finally be dead," she cackled. "Zim will pay for what he did…he will pay dearly."

Dib tried to let out an evil laugh, but failed miserably, trying to cover it up with a cough. "Then how much longer until we get there?" he asked, filling up the silence that had now settled between them.

"We have about forty-five minutes," she reported to him.

"Perfect," he said, smirking. "Just perfect…"


	11. Be a good boy NOT!

Holy shit...I'm updating. I hope you all enjoy...I got out of school and stuff...and I know that I should have updated sooner. But here's a nice, new chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Somewhere on Irk, a soldier was watching the sky. He squinted his ruby colored eyes and saw a tiny dot moving closer towards the planet's atmosphere that was full of deathly security systems and closely watching ships.

"So Mira has come back again…?" he mused to himself quietly. "I wonder what she wants this time…"

He looked into a telescope to zoom in on the ship. Nothing seemed to be wrong…until he spotted-

"A voot cruiser! No one uses those anymore…it…it can't be…he's not alive…" the soldier thought for a minute, then pushed a button on a control panel and yelled into an intercom.

"Tallests! We have a situation…! This is Soldier 031490 and there are two ships coming into view that I think you should know about…"

* * *

"We're getting closer to them…" Zim said in a serious tone.

"How far away are we from Irk?" I asked with eagerness.

"Not very far…they have about thirty minutes until they get there, so it shouldn't take us long either. I have no idea how we're going to get there without Mira doing something, but I have a feeling that you're brother has at least a few tricks up his sleeve."

"I hope you're right…" I looked out into the stars again, and I breathed in slowly. Thick and heavy breaths came soon, and I knew that I was going to start wheezing. Sounds started to become slurred, and my senses were falling fast. Zim was looking at me, and I could tell by the huge ruby colored blurs that were his eyes that were darting around frantically.

"Zim…Dib…there…soon…" I mumbled, my eyes swimming.

"Gaz, don't do this, don't do this, please," Zim said with panic whilst grabbing my hand tightly. "Not now…please, don't do this to me now…"

"Get…there…soon…"

"No…Gaz, NO…"

The last thing I felt was the ship lurching to a halt, and the feel of Zim's dry hand entwined tightly with mine.

* * *

"Invader Mira, ready for landing," Mira said into the microphone of her ship, which triggered a giant metal gate to open mechanically.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Dib asked, watching Mira work the controls of her ship so they could land.

"Well, you are going to stay on the ship since they wouldn't understand you coming here. I, however, am going to get my 'friends' rounded up, and we will get Zim ourselves."

"I have to stay on the ship!"

"Of course…Irk isn't going to let you in. You're a human. They think you absolutely absurd as a species. I need you to watch my ship, anyway."

This made Dib pout. "Fine…" He gave a dramatic sigh, but smiled to himself behind Mira's back. This is just too perfect… Dib thought to himself. "If I really must…"

"Oh, you must. You would most likely be killed on sight," Mira said, "and I wouldn't want that for my Dibby," she said as she walked over and kissed him on the cheek.  
Dib did his best to smile as she did this.

"Huh uh…" he agreed with her half-heartedly.

"Now…be a good boy for me. I will be back soon, and be sure and make sure that NO ONE sees you under any circumstance. There's a closet in the back that's hidden…I want you to go there if they inspect my ship," she said and gave him another peck on the cheek before walking out of the ship.

Dib made a face as soon as she was out of sight and earshot. "I wouldn't want that for my Dibby, be a good boy…" he said in a high pitched mock tone as he wiped her kiss off of his cheek. He instantly ran over to the control panel full of shiny levers and buttons and started figuring them all out. He looked frantically for some type of communication device, and gave a maniacal, yet geeky, laugh when he found it. Picking up the ear piece, he dialed the number of Zim's voot cruiser and stared at the screen when it came up.

A panicky looking Zim appeared on the screen holding an unconscious Gaz. "DIB! You don't know how relieved I am to talk to you. Gaz had another attack, stronger than her others…we have got to get the antidote to cure Gaz VERY soon. She doesn't have much time. Where are you!"

"I'm on Mira's ship…she left me to watch it. She's going to get some 'friends' of hers to take you down, and I think that security already knows you're coming. Where is the cure? How can I get it?"

The screen flickered static for a second, then came into view again. "You can buy it at any medical store here…but you'd have to go into the city. You'd have to steal it as well…the stuff is expensive, and you'd have to hide yourself…I suggest you find some kind of cloak. You won't have much time if they see you without an identity card around your neck, either. The medical stores are easy to spot because they are usually a blue color…all other buildings are usually purple. The antidote you'll be looking for is called 'Hemolodginitria' and you might want to grab a first aid kit. We'll need a syringe… You think you can do it?"

"I'll do it reguardless if I can or not," Dib said with confidence. "Is there any way you could bring Gaz here? I think it would be best since security is looking for you."

"I'm afraid not…but I will hide the voot cruiser. There's a small moon that orbits Irk…I can land there. Keep a watch for it on the radar when you make it back…but be sure to get back before Mira does. You'll have to take her ship to bring the cure, and then we'll all need it to get back to Earth."

"What about you?"

"If I find a way to leave, I will leave GIR with Gaz, and if I do go anywhere, it'll be to take care of Mira myself. She will be on the voot cruiser reguardless, so get here as soon as you can."

"Alright…I'll be there soon."

"Dib?"

"Yea?"

"She loves you…a lot. I think she would have wanted you to know."

Dib thought about his closed up sister telling him that she loved him, which was sort of out of place yet right altogether. It brought a small smile to his face. "I love her too…she'll always be my little sister…" he said to no one in particular. "Zim, thank you. I needed to hear that."

"Good…now hurry. I have to go now if I want to get there unseen, as should you."

And with that, Dib turned off the screen and put down the earpiece. Gaz needed that cure, and he would be the one to hand-deliver it to her.


	12. The Shack

Okay, I know it's been another long time since I've updated, but life keeps you pretty busy, you know? Soon it'll be four years of working on this, and I have to say, four years of my life have changed me, rocked me, shaped me, and have made me what I am this very moment. From halfway discovering to who I am to learning who the most important people in my life and what the most important things are, the most important thing I have learned is how to love. I only have that somewhat figured out, and I think that's as close as I can get at this moment in my life. I know this probably has nothing to do with the story, but as the writer, I think you all deserve an explanation to why I take such a long time to update. I'm growing up, and life is this wild ride that no one can stop, and unfortunately, it's taking up every moment I have…I'm sure you have all been there, and some of you probably are still there. I thank you all for the encouragement for me to keep writing, and if it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't still be writing. I've stuck with this thing for a long time…and I intend to finish it.  
So, having said that and getting it out of the way, I present to you the twelfth chapter of Maybe He Knows What It's Like—The Shack. Please, enjoy.

* * *

Zim landed somewhere on the cratered, abandoned moon, lucky to have missed the security ships that flew closely overhead and all around the moon. The massive rock he had landed behind was a great place for hiding, he thought, and hopefully they would have enough hiding time before they were spotted on the Irken moon. He propped Gaz up carefully with his arm and put a pill down her throat, and rubbed it accordingly so her body would automatically swallow; this would allow her to breathe outside of the ship.

Pressing a button, the clear shield popped open and slid up slowly, whilst GIR zoomed out and began to bounce on the gritty surface of the moon happily, looking unaware of the situation at hand. Zim slid an arm under Gaz's knees and supported her neck with his other as he stepped out of the ship again, glancing around cautiously for some kind of shelter. He had heard somewhere a long time ago that this moon had a crazed outcast living here, and something about him having abandoned shacks that he made himself.

"Probably a bunch of bull shit the Tallests put out to scare people so they wouldn't come here-" he started to say, then stopped. What his eyes had caught was the sight of a metal shack, battered up from what seemed like dents. "Okay, maybe it's not bullshit…" he said to himself again and started for the old shack.

"Where are we…?" a meek voice said and floated into his ears.

Zim stopped and looked down at Gaz who was barely awake. He smiled a little and said "On the moon."

"Oh…ok…always wanted to see the moon…"

"Not as great as everyone says it is…" he said softly and looked around, then back at her.

She smiled a little bit, obviously not in full consciousness. "Tell me when we get there…"

"You got it." And with that, she snuggled her head against his chest and slipped out of consciousness again.

He smiled at her once more before he continued on, making his way to the dented up shack to see if anyone was making it un-vacant for the time being.

* * *

Dib heard the sound of the ship door sliding open before he made a mad dash for the supposed "hidden closet" even though he wasn't sure if it was there or not. He searched all around and found it just in time before he heard the stomping of thick steel-toed boots carry throughout the ship. He felt around in the dark of the closet for a wall he could sit against and found one with what felt like a thick heavy, long piece of cloth. Perfect, he thought to himself as he put it on, seeing if it had sleeves and a hood to go along with it.

"Of course it does…" he said to himself happily as he smirked and slipped it on quietly.

He heard the whirring of the ship engine as he felt it float off to wherever the Irken soldiers were taking it to, and then bumped from side to side of the closet as turbulence washed over the ship, finally throwing him into the corner. He clung to either side of the wall with all his might as the ship started to move faster, gravity pulling all his insides backwards to the back wall of his outer shell. Clenching his teeth together with his eyes squinting shut, he gripped his fingers onto the wall as best as he could, the moment oddly reminding him of Spiderman in his early, awkward days.

He shook his head of the silly thought and calmed himself, hoping that the flight would end soon as the feeling of turbulence waved in and out of the ship as it became closer to its mystery destination. He was jerked around by the obvious horrible piloting skills of the Irken soldiers, and Dib thought that they must have been the kind of soldiers that didn't have the lights all on upstairs. He snickered to himself in the dark, careful not to be too loud, but was laughing at his own dumb joke all the same. With a sudden jerk, the ship came to a stop, and the sound of the door opening and closing could be heard as steel toed boots marched out of the ship again.

Dib opened the closet and peeked out, making sure that no soldiers had stuck around to watch the ship inside. Once the coast was clear, he pulled his hood down so his face was shadowed and then he straightened his cloth-like robe. Satisfied with the feel of his disguise, even though he was sure something would go horribly amiss, he opened the door of the ship, ready to accept whatever came his way.

* * *

Zim walked up to the door of the shack cautiously, the myth of a crazy outcast living alone on the Irken moon leaving his imagination to many things. He shifted Gaz over his shoulder and peered into the dark window that was to the left of the door.

Nothing.

Letting go of his breath that he had carefully held in his lungs (A/N: whatever Irkens have…) slowly, he reached to the handle of the door and pushed it open. To his surprise, the door glided open smoothly and he stepped into the dark, moon-inhabiting shack cautiously. He breathed in the musty air of the shack and found nothing but the smell of the musty stink of a stale shack and the darkness it withheld; which he could see just fine in, of course. Looking around, he saw an old chair in the corner of the shack, and it seemed to be the only type of home-ish furniture in the place. He sat down Gaz gently in the chair and whirled around to look behind him at the sound the tiniest sound that had just occurred in his ears.

He spotted something in another corner of the shack, his eyes locking on it creeping closer and closer to him in the dark…


	13. GIR's feeties to the rescue!

Merry Christmas! ♥ ♥ ♥

Dib peered cautiously around a corner of a stray hall, and this had been what seemed like the tenth-hundredth time he had done so with a corner of stray hall. He had somehow snuck into the depths of the docking building without getting caught so far, but he wasn't so sure if he wouldn't bump into an officer that could be around _any_ corner. He was sure that they had seen him on the cameras that were covering the place, and they were probably hot on his trails.

He stopped as he heard footsteps over-lapping his own, coming from up the hall he was going down. Trying to think quickly of which way he should go, his feet automatically moved in the opposite direction of the sound of the footsteps as quickly as he could without running.

"Hey you!"

Dib stopped, hearing the high pitched, tiny voice that had seemingly come out of nowhere. "Wha?"

"Intruder! You intruder!"

"Where the hell…" Dib looked around, trying to figure out just where that tiny voice was coming from.

"Down! Down here, you impossible, intruding intruder, you!"

Dib looked down and his mouth wiggled into the most unexpected grin at the miniature Irken soldier that was standing at his feet at a rather surprising two-and-a-half feet tall. If there was one thing that Dib didn't have much knowledge of, it was that the Irkens were a _very_ short people. He let out a small laugh and stepped over the small Irken, being tall giving him a feeling of power.

"You come back here!" the tiny Irken yelled.

"What are you going to do? Jump me? Ha!" Dib scoffed at the creature as he was walking away.

"Take this!"

ZOOOOOM!

A rather large lazer had just whizzed past Dib's hood, and it made him stop dead in his tracks. His eyes grew wide and he looked back at the tiny alien with disbelief.

The small Irken was standing with his gun aimed, trying to keep his balance. "You want another, huh? Come back here! When I'm done with you, you'll be a snack for the Tallests!"

Dib wasn't around to hear the alien finish his threat, as he was running swiftly down another hall, alarms buzzing in his ears with the sounds of more tromping boots. He shoved a large button down that was posted next to two huge doors crafted from metal, and bolted through them, even though they were only halfway opened by the time he decided he had to go. He stopped and stared at the strange world he had entered that surrounded the docking building: he was in the heart of the city of Irk.

Zim squinted in the dark at the figure that was coming closer and closer to him in the dark. It loomed over him, appearing to be a full half-head taller than he was, and he could feel the cold breath that drifted from the creature.

"What are you?" Zim asked boldly into the darkness.

"The question is, _what are you?_" the question slithered off its tongue as though a snake's hiss would.

"I am Invader Zim, and I seek shelter from the…authorities. I am in no way associated with them anymore, and I wish no harm upon you or your home-"

"What is that in my chair?" the thing asked. "Upon all things that would end up in _my _chair, do my eyes deceive me? Is that…a human? Hmm? Imagine, anything in the universe could end up plopping its rear into my chair, and there is a human. How…intriguing."

Zim wondered to himself how he knew what a human was, especially since the planet Earth wasn't charted on any of the maps in this part of space.

The thing pressed something somewhere and a dim light made itself apparent to them, the light revealing everything in the shack, including the thing itself. He was tall and lanky, his fingers spidery and his smile maniacal. There was something about him with his faded green skin and his chilling blue eyes that made the soul very uneasy, and he was just overall…_creepy_.

"By the way, my name is Zanenine, but call me Zane, please. Now, back to your…companion. Why is there such a delicate thing in such a gaudy place? There must be a very important reason you have a human in your possession…" he ran a finger down Gaz's cheek.

"Don't touch her…" Zim growled under his breath.

"Oh, so you care for the human? Also interesting… Mister Zim, I find humans to be incredibly fascinating, and it is so rare a chance I come home to find one resting in _my_ chair… How much could I give you in return for such a," he moved closer to Gaz, "fragile thing."

"You can't have her," he said firmly as he stepped in front of the chair occupied by Gaz.

"Then I will simply _take_ the human. You see, Mister Zim, you came into my home hiding from those pesky Irkens, and I tried to be gracious enough to ask you for the human. You don't know how simply I could call those soldiers down here and have you arrested in an instant, or, I could just as easily smash your face in, smearing your brains upon the wall as I bask in your cries of anguish and your blood spilling. I don't care, but either way, the human is mine," Zane said this all smoothly with a devilish smirk upon his lips. "They haven't come looking for you because they know that I kill whatever comes upon my property, and it won't be long if they figure out that I haven't killed you yet. You can go now, death-free, or you can die here. Whatever you choose is up to you, and I honestly don't care."

"Gaz doesn't belong to you, and there's no way she's staying here with you. I'll die before I see that happen, you freak. I can see why you were banished from Irk." Zim watched him carefully as Zane stepped closer to him and Gaz.

"Foolish Mister Zim, I wasn't banished… I left and no one bothered to look for me. Do you know why that is, hmm?"

Zim stood silent with a stern look on his face.

"I would have killed them. I would have killed them all. Their blood would have been mine for the taking, and I would be feared by everyone, EVERYONE!" Zane's voice had risen with great anger and evil. "For such morons, they were smart not to mess with looking for me."

"Well, whatever you're capable of, I'm still not letting you have Gaz. I told you… I'll die before that happens. Just let us go…forget that we ever came here. Don't make me hurt you."

"Mister Zim, you honestly think that you could hurt me? Forgive me, but I do believe that you are underestimating my…talents. You're not quite sure of what I'm capable of, are you?"

"No, but I'm willing to risk that…" Zim slowly reached for a gun that he had brought with him that was resting on his belt.

"Foo-AIIIIIEEEE!" Zane let out a terrible cry as his face was smothered by some type of fast, metal thing that was…giggling…?

"GIR!" Zim cried out, happy and shocked all at the same time to see the little SIR unit.

"Your face feels like a leeeeeezard!" GIR sang as he occupied and smothered his way deeper into Zane's face. "Smell my feeties!"

Zim hurriedly gathered Gaz in his arms and headed for the door before calling GIR over to him.

"Get it off! Get this little shit off my face!" Zane yelled and flailed his arms about.

GIR heard Zim and rushed out the door with him and into the voot cruiser. The cover to the voot cruiser was just closing as Zane had run out of his shack, determined to take the life of Zim and what he thought was his SIR unit from hell. Zim let out a victorious laugh, taking off toward the atmosphere of the moon, hopefully to get away from the crazed Zane, but little did he know that Zane would soon be following them not too far behind…


	14. Baby, you're a genious

Happy New Year! I'm sort of tired (if you know what I mean) from the festive beverages at hand, so this is all I have. The next chapter will be longer, I swear! ♥ ♥

* * *

Dib ran down the street, pushing anyone out of his way at a panicky speed, and he was sure that half the people he ran into were looking for him. He dodged and jumped, barreling into the unsuspecting citizens of Irk, frantically looking for a blue building. He looked behind him and saw that the authorities weren't far behind, and they didn't look all too happy to be chasing this outsider that was running around their city.

Everyone was so short to him, but that wasn't the thing that made him run. They're weapons were horrible, much more than he remembered Zim using such things on him in their childhood rivalry. He had forgotten, in fact, just how short Irkens were. Zim had grown as tall as he had in his time on Earth, for what reasons he did not know, but either way, despite their size, he had to find away to throw them off of is trail. He looked around and spotted a blue building.

Just the thing I need… he thought quickly as he dashed across the busy Irken road.

He busted through the doors, not remembering what a scene and ruckus that his action would have made. Everyone in the medical store stopped, looking at the cloaked figure that had burst through the entrance. Dib pulled his hood down, muttering "Sorry," lowly in a poorly disguised voice. They went about their Irken business, ignoring the cluttering scene he had made. He slowed down and caught his breath as he walked near the walls, browsing the medicines they had to offer and watching to see who and what cameras were around to watch his every move.

"Hemolodginitria…hemolodginitria," he repeated to himself under his breath, looking for a bottle that said so. He soon noticed that all of the labels were in Irken. "Figures…"

"Can I help you?" a short, quite aged looking Irken man asked Dib.

"Hemolodginitria," Dib said lowly so he wouldn't give away his identity.

"Oh…is that all? Over here…" he started over towards the opposite shelf and inched his way over slowly.

Dib looked out the window of the store and saw that the Irken authorities were outside, searching desperately for him. He looked back to the old Irken and watched him with eagerness hoping that he would go faster. He imagined somewhere in his mind shoving the old man along lifting him up by the shoulders so he could point out the specific item he was searching for.

"Right here…" the ancient Irken said, reaching slowly for the bright green bottle of serum that seemed to be screaming at Dib to take.

Dib felt bad about stealing from the old Irken that was trying to help him find what he had so desperately searching for, but it was either stealing something or have his sister die. Screw it, he thought to himself. "Thanks," he said quickly and snatched the bottle from the shelf. Grabbing what looked like a first aid kit to him on his way out the doors, he was off again, running down the street by the time the old Irken had noticed that the cloaked figure had taken something and vanished.

I woke up slowly, noticing that I was still in the voot cruiser. Zim was quiet and had his back to me, and I wasn't sure if he knew that I had woken up.

"How long have we been going? I thought we were almost there…" I said quietly.

Zim turned around and his eyes grew wide with shock. "Gaz! I'm so happy you're awake… but then again, I sort of wish you weren't awake…"

"Wow, I feel the love," I said sarcastically with a sour tone.

"No, I don't mean it that way, you don't know what happened back there on the Irken moon," he said quickly.

"Wait, what happened?"

"Well, I landed the cruiser on the moon, hoping to find some way to hide from the authorities that were flying. I made contact with Dib while I was still inside, and he snuck off of the ship that Mira had taken him on to go into Irk to get the cure. After that, I got out and started looking for somewhere to stay for a little while, but it happened to be the home of someone we could have dealt without…"

"What are you talking about?"

"There are old rumors about an outcast the lived on the moon…he built shacks all over for some reason, and well…I thought it was just made up to scare people, and it turns out its true."

"And you ended up taking us into a shack…that belonged to him…"

"Exactly. Not only is the guy crazy….he's obsessed with humans. How that is, I don't know, because Earth is unknown and off the map in this part of the universe. He seemed like somewhat of a murderer too…the things he offered were quite gruesome," Zim said with disgust.

"So he's chasing after us because he wants me for some kind of freak pet? Nice… But what about Dib? Where's Dib?" I asked with concern.

"I'm not too sure about that…I'm almost positive that he's close to getting the cure for you, and he just might already have it. We have to get back in time to meet him, and then we have to, somehow, get Mira's ship to get back to Earth. I have no idea where I'm going to take you without getting caught…" his voice sounded distressed, and I didn't like that coming from Zim.

I tired to think of something to brighten up the situation at the moment, but failed as my mouth open and shut a few times like a fish. All this had happened while I was unconscious, and I had no idea, nor did I have any way to help Zim or Dib. They were both risking their life for me, and I couldn't do anything for them in return. "Then where are we going now?" I mused out loud.

"I'm going to try to make it into the docking building while Mira is still away from the ship. If I can get to that, then we can pick up Dib and we can get out of here without getting caught by the authorities."

"What happens if we're caught?" I asked with curiosity.

"Wha?"

"Yeah, what happens if we're caught?" I asked again.

"Well…I don't…I don't know. They wouldn't kill us on the spot, but… hell, I never really thought about it up until now. I suppose we would be thrown somewhere until the Tallests came to deal with us."

"Tallests?"

"You don't know, do you?" he asked me.

"Is there something I should know?"

"The rulers of the Irken race are determined by height, and there were two Irkens that were both taller than the rest. They were the same height, so they get to rule the planet, and that's why they're called the Tallests. They're the ones who sent me to Earth to rot like they did… I have no respect for either of them," Zim said with a venom flavored tone.

"Oh…" I said, letting all that Zim had said sink into my brain for a minute. "Um, Zim?"  
"Do what?" Zim said and looked back at me quickly.

"If your planet is ruled by the tallest person… what would happen if you were to go into Irk? I mean, you've grown for some reason on Earth, and I would say that you're fairly tall. If you go in and you're the tallest, can they do anything to you?"

"I've never thought about it…. but you bring up a very good point…I think…" Zim thought about how tall he really had gotten and grew a malicious smirk upon his face. "I think that we should test that theory. Did I ever tell you that I love the way you think?"

"I don't believe so…"

"Well, then, baby, you're a genious."

* * *

I know that was akind of out of character thing tohave Zim say, but it justflowed out, so please don't hit me! Mew...anywho...starting on the next chapter...now.


	15. We all change a little

I do hope this chapter is a bit longer than the last few. I've been sick with strep throat, and all I've been doing is working on this chapter. It's leading up to the more action packed ones, so I'm sorry if it seems so dull. And, yes, my characters do seem to be getting OOC, but they have matured and whatnot, so I think it fits with the story. I thank you all for reading thus far, and I hope for you to read many more of these chapters in the future. Without further adieu, I give you the fifteenth chapter of Maybe He Knows What it's Like. Happy reading, me loverlies! ♥♥

* * *

Dib was running wildly trying to obtain a right direction back to the docking building where he was supposed to be getting back on the ship. He didn't know where Mira was by now or what she was doing, and that worried him. He looked up at a familiar building that he assumed-and hoped-was the docking building, and then looked back to make sure no one was following him too closely.

So far so good… he thought to himself.

He ducked and sprinted throughout the seemingly empty halls, trying to remember his way back to the ship. He turned down a hall, and then quickly sprinted in the opposite direction when he saw Irken soldiers armed to the teeth coming his way.

"Not again…" he whined to himself, remembering the short Irken that had almost taken him out. He rounded another corner quietly and made sure to get as far away as possible from the soldiers that he had seen. Finally seeing a door, and that being Dib's only way out at the moment, he hurriedly opened the door and concealed himself behind it.

"…and we have spotted Zim coming in through ast-" the Irken at the table surrounded by other Irkens and Mira herself stopped and looked upon the cloaked figure that had entered the room so suddenly in silence.

"Who the hell are you!" the soldier asked.

"DIB!" Mira yelled. "I mean... yes, Dib, my uh….erm… slow, retarded brother," Mira said slyly.

"Retarded?" the soldier asked, and cocked his antennae accordingly.

"He follows me everywhere… he must have slipped onto my ship on my way here. If you'll excuse me, soldiers, I must take him back. I will be with you shortly…" she said quickly and escorted Dib out of the door.

"What are you doing here! Did I not tell you to stay on the ship? What did you think you were doing? You could have been killed!"

"Well, I was… that is to say…"

"Don't tell me… that you were trying to go find…Zim?"

"No, no, no… No, no, no, no, NO, no… why would I do that, Mira?" Dib put on a cheesy grin, trying to find a good excuse.

She looked at him oddly. "You went to help your sister, didn't you? I knew that trusting you was a bad idea! Well, we'll make sure that you don't try something like that again…" she began to tap something into her watch and soon they were in a room filled cells. Unlocking one of them, she forcefully threw Dib in there before he could protest and locked it quickly.

"You can't do this to me!"

"I just did, Dibby. You'll see things my way…soon… but for now, I have an Irken to stop and REVENGE! to take."

And with those last words, she had disappeared into thin air.

"Bitch…" he mumbled to himself. He pounded his fists on the cell door.

"I-"

_Pound._

"-just wanted-"

_Pound._

"-to save my-"

_Pound, pound._

"**SISTER!**"

_POUND, POUND, POUND!_

"Will you cut that out?" a voice rang out into the air amongst the pounding. Dib stopped his pounding rage and listened again.

"Who are you…?"

"My name is Skooge…"

* * *

"What if this doesn't work, and we're…killed?" I gulped on the last word that came out of my mouth. Usually worry about being killed didn't scare me…but I guess my sickness had gone to my head.

"It's going to work."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"Trust me, it will. They may be powerful, but they can be stupid."

"But say it doesn't-"

"Let's say that it does, and if it's anything otherwise…know that I love you."

"You've become so sappy…" I giggled.

"Would you rather me be any other way?" he asked as we made our way into a docking bay of some sort.

"Well, no, but… I don't remember you this way. I mean… I remember you a lot of ways…most of them were at times where I was saving Dib from your 'invading terror' or seeing you doing something stupid at school, but I never thought I would see you like this. You've changed…a lot," I said, remembering all the times I had ever seen Zim.

"Oh, don't tell me about change… You have changed a lot too, trust me," he said with a small smile.

"No way!"

"A long time ago, you would have never had anything to do with Dib or me," he laughed.

"Well…I guess so… where is this?" I asked, changing the subject.

"The security docking bay. Now, do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here? If you come with me, we will be questioned and followed, but if you stay here, they're likely to catch you alone. Personally, I'd feel a lot better if you came with me."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, not really…no."

"GIR wanna come!" GIR shouted.

"But are they going to let you through? What if they know you're coming…? Didn't Mira say something about them having cameras that watch you?"

"They're going to let me through if I have to deal with them myself… if they start to attack you, GIR will hold them off. I know my way through here, luckily, but I need you to stay as close to me as you can, alright?" he picked up a gun-like object and opened the ship's cover.

After getting out and making sure it was clear for the moment, he held out his hand to me, which I accepted as he helped me out of the ship. GIR came out as well, his eyes and chest red in a defense mode that I found to be sort of cute (everything about GIR seemed to be cute…) We entered a pair of doors, and Zim walked cautiously in front of me as we wandered down the sterile halls of the building. Before long, soldiers were crossing our paths, gawking at us, and I had no clue if they were staring at Zim's tallness or my…difference in race.

"Who are you!" a pair of soldiers that came around a corner asked demandingly.

"Zim."

"But…it can't be…"

"Yes, save it, I was supposed to die, but I didn't. Let us go through, or I'll make you let us, got it?" Zim peered down at the soldier that was half his size and held the gun close to his head.

I watched Zim make this violent motion, and something struck me as quite a surprise—he would always have that violent way of getting something he wanted. It made me wonder how he had ever changed.

"You may go…" the soldier stated shakily. "But _that_ cannot," he said as he pointed to me.

Zim squinted his eyes and grabbed the soldier by his neck and lifted him up crushingly against the wall. "_That_ is not to ever be spoken to like _that_, do I make myself clear?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The soldier coughed and gasped in reply. "Y-ye….ss…"

"Good," he said quietly as he dropped him. He looked over to the other soldier that was blocking the way. "Do you want to argue with me too?"

The soldier said nothing and moved away quickly, pulling along his damaged comrade down the hall. I watched in silence and followed Zim quickly again, his violent side starting to scare me. I could see the anger that had been pent up in him for years, and it was starting to come out and build stronger and stronger with every other soldier we encountered.


	16. Escapes and decision making

I'm really sorry about the long wait. School got really busy, all of this fic was ALMOST deleted, and as always, I'm going through some stuff...other than that, I turned sixteen just recently. I am very pleased with this chapter, and I hope that you, my loyal readers, will be as well. I try my best to entertain and write for you in hopes of your enjoyment. :) Enjoy. 3 (Oh, and by the by, this chapter gets a little OOC, but I'm sure that you all don't mind. I tried to balance it out at the end of the chapter...please don't flame me for it. I must also warn ye for the strong language...so...ye be warned.)

* * *

"Skooge? But aren't you supposed to be…" 

"Dead? Yeah, I was _supposed_ to be dead, but I'm not. They just can't get rid of me," he chuckled to himself. "Now, what are you doing here?

Dib scratched his chin. "Well, it started with Gaz, my sister. She's sick…she has a rare disease that requires 'hemolodginitria' for the cure, and Zim and I were devastated when we found out-"

"Zim? He cared?"

"He's made some major changes…you'd be surprised. Anyway, we found out that the disease is terminal unless we get the cure, and just to our luck, the only place we could find it was here on Irk. Little known to us, my girlfriend turned out to be Invader Mira in disguise, and she's determined to stop Zim from getting anywhere near Irk… I don't think she understands that we're not trying to do anything to Irk…we just wanna save Gaz.

"She said something about Zim killing her brother and she wants to get revenge on him for it. We tried to build a ship that would be faster and would help us greatly, but she revealed herself when she found out about it. Mira dragged me along, and Zim took Gaz with him in the voot cruiser. I escaped her long enough to get the cure…" Dib pulled out the bottle from his sleeve. "I just hope I can give it to her…" He looked at it thoughtfully and then put it back up safely in the confines of his sleeve. "Why are you here?"

"I'm sort of the rebel around here…I robbed a few banks, stole some stuff…just small stuff. I'm just about the only one to do things like that just to piss them off and they can't stand it…they're so full of themselves… One day, they're going to realize the error of their being so stupid…" Skooge trailed off quietly under his breath, griping about the Tallests.

"So I hear. Zim didn't seem too happy about meeting up with either of them again. How is it exactly that you manage to escape? The place is crawling with guards; they walk down all the hallways… I barely got through and back in without being seen, but then again, they're none too bright either…" Dib thought back to the few guards he had encountered earlier.

"Oh, getting out is easy, but running them out is the hard part. They're stupid, but they're fast as well. I usually have a ship nearby me at all times…you'd think they'd be smart enough to check me for devices that let me do such, you know?" Skooge tapped something into a watch-like device resting on his wrist. "My ship will be waiting for us when we get out…are you coming?" Skooge was now up by a vent, supported by the spidery legs that protruded from his Irken pack. He took the cover of the vent off and crawled in, seeming fairly professional to Dib at the way he handled his escaping.

"Yeah, I'm right behind you…" Dib said as he jumped up and crawled in, disappearing in the depths of the vent.

* * *

I walked silently behind Zim, becoming a little scared at the way he was acting…and it takes quite a bit to make me scared. He was slamming more of his weight down with each step he took, and the grip on his gun was so strong that his knuckles were very defined, going along perfectly with his anger. We had encountered many of the guards and Zim had tossed them all aside with ease, even some without saying a word. 

"Z-zim?"

There was no answer but his angry attitude that hung in the air as we walked down another long hallway.

"Hello?"

"What?" he snapped at me without turning to look at me.

I stopped walking and drew back. "Forget it."

He turned around and his eyes went from hard to soft within the moment. "Gaz, I didn't mean… I'm sorry. I don't think I've ever felt this angry over something. Maybe…maybe you should go back and stay in the ship-"

"It's alright. You're just… you're scaring me." I continued to walk after he did, hoping that our talking would break the ice that had seemed to freeze the mood we had both been in before we came in. "Or maybe that's my disorder talking. I don't get scared…" I said as I smirked. "You on the other hand… I do believe you're slipping, Invader Zim."

He gave me a sly smile. "Me? Invader Zim? Invader Zim does not slip," he said, puffing out his chest. "Come, we have DOOM! to make upon this planet!" He grabbed my hand and began to run down the hallway we were in with some new found energy bursting from his new mood.

"Wait for meeeeeEEEE!" GIR squealed as he zoomed up behind us.

We had been running for a few minutes when we slowed down and suddenly stopped in front of two huge doors. "You know…" I said into the silence that had seemed to form over us. "It's like a video game…we've come so far…and then we get to the boss, which is usually sealed by two big doors. How…odd," I said to myself.

"Only part is, getting in won't be that easy…" Zim went over to a panel beside the doors. "The doors probably open by voice or fingerprint activation… I should have gotten something from one of the guards." He stood and thought. "They're probably expecting us, NO, I know they're expecting us," he corrected himself. He took his gun and pointed it into the controls of the panel and pulled the trigger, squinting his eyes and moving his head away as he did so.

I heard a good bit of cracking and a smoky smell tugged at my nose as I saw the panel fry itself broken, killing the security of locking the doors. I watched Zim go over to the doors and pull them open with some force, which opened our way into what seemed to me like the room that the Tallests would be dwelling in.

I wonder what they look like… I thought to myself. Zim motioned quietly for me to stay behind him as he walked into the room with a cautioned stealth, his arms pointed in a locked position with his gun.

"Drop the weapon, Zim," I heard a voice say as something stiff poked into my back; my back tensed and a gasp fell from my mouth, half fear and half with shock. Someone was pointing a gun to my back… They were threatening to kill me, and there was nothing that I could do.

"Over my dead body," Zim shot back.

"Maybe you'd want to rethink that if it were _her_ dead body," the voice said darkly. I felt the tip of what I assumed was a gun press harder into my back as my eyes grew wide. Zim turned around quickly to face me and I saw whatever anger he had for them grow ten times more that it ever had been. All I could do was stare back at him, trying to think of something to say or something to do that could possibly save both of us before it was too late.

Zim turned around. "You two are such fucking _**cowards**_…"

"Oh are we?" Tallest Purple asked.

"I'm not going to ask again," Tallest Red said, "drop the weapon."

"Not unless you leave her out of this. This is _my_ business, and she has _no_ part of this," Zim said in a low voice.

I looked up and saw the two Tallests sort of hovering in the air as I felt my breathing grow more panicked; I scolded myself mentally not to black out here, especially now.

"Drop your weapon and we'll leave her alone…but she goes as well. We don't want anything in our way," Tallest Red ordered.

Zim thought for a moment, the deep thinking clear on his face. "Fine."

Purple waved his hand and the guard that had his gun in my back grabbed my arm firmly and started to walk away.

"But, wait, no, I don't want to go-" I argued, wriggling my arm against the guard's firm grip.

"I'll be back for you soon, I promise. Don't worry…" Zim said as he watched us walk away.

I struggled and kicked. "No, why don't I get a say in this! You're not being fair!" Tears formed in my eyes and I felt stupid and afraid all at the same time. "Don't do this!"

I heard Zim drop his gun. "Please, just go for me. Everything's going to work out fine, I love you, remember? I'll see you soon, I promise, but for now just go with this." He looked at me and smiled sadly.

The guard slung me over his shoulder and I began to beat and punch wildly on his back. "_**STOP**_! Put me down _right now_, you fuck!" I beat my fists into his back harder and harder, but I was having no success. "Please, no…don't…" I sobbed, reaching my hand out to Zim as the doors closed, preventing me from seeing anything more that went on.

I let my body go limp for a few minutes as my chest heaved up and down, sobs racking through my body. "Put me down! Right now!" I screamed after awhile, suddenly feeling more rage come through. The guard said nothing and remained emotionless to anything I said or anything I called him. We had gone down a few halls and were now in some sort of room filled with prison cells. He opened one of the cells, set me down quickly, and then swept back out, hitting a few buttons so the cell closed before I could get one foot out of the door.

"Asshole!" I screamed, my fists slamming on the door that had sealed me in the little prison cell. I felt stupid for letting that happen, and I felt like a dumbass for letting myself cry like I had. "You're so stupid…" I scolded myself. I sat down on the tiny bench that was in the corner of the cell. "So weak…stupid, stupid, stupid…" I said, thinking of how easily I was taken away. I felt embarrassed and mortified, anger for myself rising within me. My feet slid out in front of me and my head made itself comfortable in my hands until my foot hit something solid and metal that was lying on the ground. I sniffled and looked up, seeing what looked like a vent cover.

"Wha…?" I uttered to myself in disbelief as I looked up to see an open vent, perfect for escaping…


	17. Hot on their heels

Ahh! An update... School is out today, and what better way to celebrate than to start the summer with an update. I plan on finishing this during this summer...scary, eh? I hope it turns out like I hope, and I hope that it pleases each and every one of you. Your support and reviews are cherished greatly, and I hope that everyone reads this all the way through. Anyway, I'll let you get to reading. Enough babble.

* * *

Dib coughed in the stale air of the vent, wondering how much longer he would have to be crawling through the cold and narrowness of its dark confines. He could hear Skooge in front of him; the tapping of his spidery Irken pack legs failing to let Dib get lost or stray from the right path. "Not much longer, I think…" he heard Skooge say. Dib rolled his eyes, thinking about the eight other times Skooge had said the exact same thing. 

"Uh huh…" Dib mumbled to himself. He remembered that Skooge was being gracious enough to help him and tried to be as patient as he could. With all that had happened, he couldn't help but think that he would be just a small bit more comfortable at home, on his couch, watching Mysterious Mysteries. He wanted everything to go back to normal, well, _his_ standard of normal, and he wanted Gaz to be right there with him, threatening to beat him to a pulp if he didn't change the channel. It would have gotten on his nerves any other time, but now… Now it seemed like a paradise that, if the fates claimed it so, would never be part of his life again.

"Dib?" Skooge asked for the fifth time.

Dib snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I don't think we're alone in the vent…" Skooge stopped, everything becoming still as the sound of a far away, soft wriggling drifted echoed quietly into their ears.

"They would send people in the vents after us?" Dib whispered.

"They never notice that I'm gone this quickly…we gotta get out of here. If that is them, we don't have much time."

The wriggling was getting moderately louder, giving them the warning that there really wasn't much time left. Skooge began to wriggle his way through again and Dib followed closely behind once more. A tapping sound began to become clear and apparent to them that matched perfectly with the wriggling, and it reached their ears sooner than they had hoped. Something was making fast progress towards them, and it seemed as though there wasn't much they could do.

"We have to drop out here," Skooge said, ripping off the cover to a vent that led down into another room.

"I don't think they would have noticed we were gone… and they couldn't have possibly followed us that quickly, could they?" Dib questioned as they dropped down into what looked like some sort of storage room, filled with all kinds of boxes and extra supplies.

"Honestly, I have no idea what it is, but I'll bet you anything that they were keeping a closer eye on us than we thought. I hate to rush you, but we really have to go. We don't have time for all this talking," Skooge said hurriedly. He looked around the room, thinking to himself.

Dib looked around idly as his ears picked up on the tapping and wriggling again, getting louder and closer quicker.

"Skooge…"

"Hold on, I'm almost sure we can go out this door and get to a secluded hallway…"

"_Skooge_…"

"Hold on, Dib, I can't concentrate!"

"SKOOGE!" Dib halfway yelled. He was paralyzed, looking into the darkness of the vent, save for a pair of chillingly blue electric eyes staring back at him. "Run…" Dib mumbled before scrambling out from under the vent and dragging Skooge along with him out the room door, not caring who would see.

A tall, slender figure dropped from the vent with an evil sort of grace as the two ran out of the room at full speed.

"Another human… how wonderful," said a slithery voice belonging to none other than Zane. "Fresh humans for my collection… oh, what fortune…"

Zane began to walk out of the room, unaware that he too was being followed…

* * *

I crawled through the vent slowly and quietly, fear and excitement wrapping my heart and hanging it in my throat. 

_He was just here… Dib was just here…_ I thought to myself.

"But that monster was following him…" I whispered as I noticed that it was hard to squeeze through the vents with clunky boots on. I finally saw the opening where I had seen my brother and Skooge, followed by Zane, drop out. I dropped down carefully and took in the dark room filled with supplies. "Kinda creepy…" I said to no one in particular. I stood in the silence that inhabited the air, its weight seeping into my ears.

Something then murdered the silence, breaking it up with the rustling of boxes and containers.

"H-hello…?" I asked, figuring that I wouldn't have to deal with anything worse than the Tallests.

"Your mother's piggy says heeeeeeeello!" a familiar voice squealed.

"GIR!" I cried, happy to see the little robot. "Where did you come from?"

GIR stared at me after I asked him this with a very puzzled look amongst his face.

"Oh well, I don't care… But we have to stop that Zane guy…" I said, looking around for some kind of weapon.

"I must obey!" GIR said while his eyes burned bright red, his tummy matching. He saluted me then went back to his cute aqua color.

"Obey, huh? Help me find a weapon… It's about time I do something useful, and I'll start with that monster. I'm tired of feeling helpless," I said as a new feeling began to take over my brain. I felt quite determined, and I don't think even my own disease could stop me.

"Wait!" GIR cried before I started opening a box.

"What?"

"I gots somethin'!" GIR said, giggling as he opened his chest cavity. "That teeckles…eeee!" he squealed once more before he fished out a kind of gun.

I looked at himmomentarily and blinked, wondering where he had gotten it.

"Here! It's a weapon for keeeeling things!" he said while smiling happily.

I took the gun and thanked him. "We have to go now, GIR… Can you do something for me?"

"Whassat?"

"I need you to be really really quiet for me. Follow me and stay closely behind, alright?"

"Okie dokie artichokee!" he agreed with me pleasantly and I opened the door to the hallway.

"I'm coming Dib… I might be in risk of dying, but just because you're my stupid big brother doesn't mean you have to be in risk of dying either," I said to myself as we began to venture up the hallways, hot on their heels.

* * *

"You realize that I'm as tall as both of you at the moment," Zim said cautiously. "Being on Earth has done me quite an amount of good. According to how this pathetic slum works, I could overthrow you two-" 

"You were exiled! You can't barge back in here demanding things, rules are rules," Purple said as he hovered over to Zim.

"Rules are rules, but I'm sure there are plenty of Irkens would want you two out of power… I saw how the city looked. But even if I did take you out, I wouldn't want this filth-ball anyway. I came here for a cure and I believe I have that taken care of as of now," he looked over at Red, then at Purple. "I'll leave quietly if you get Mira off my back."

"You really aren't in a position to demand anything. We exiled you for a reason," Red spoke slowly, "and if you didn't know, it was to kill you. You're not dead from that obviously, but I think we can manage to finish what we started."

Purple looked over at the guards who were standing by the door. "Leave us," he said. They scrambled out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"If you're good, we'll kill you quickly…"


	18. Attacked

Okay, you guys. First off, I know what you're thinking:

Where the fuck did she go for about six months?

Wellll…I went on a great trek from Mississippi to South Dakota for a couple of weeks. It was great fun. THEN…I came home and spent the summer worrying about things and not really getting anything done. Horrible, I know. THEN… Band camp started, which was a living hell. Then it went on into the school year, and it became literally hell. I then met up with an old friend of mine and we began talking. Again. Things are now where I want them, and everything is rolling out from chaos and is shaping back into things.

I shall quote Gaz on this: "The rightful order of justice has been restored."

….And that's what I've been up to. Now, I'm going to finish this story if it kills me. Only thing is…do you guys want a part two?

I need to know before I end it because I'll need to find a way to end the story according to your needs. You are all very important to me, dears. So…tell me in a review. Or message me. Or email me. Sheikgohanfreak is my aim, and is my email address.

Now, on with the story. Oh, and I know this chapter is a bit short, please don't complain. ;; I'm going to make up for it next chapter, I swear.

* * *

Dib and Skooge were sprinting frantically down a hallway, not really caring who saw them. They needed a place to hide and fast if they wanted to get away from whoever or whatever this monster was, and so far they weren't making much progress except for the fact that they were getting much needed exercise. Dib looked back briefly and saw that the lanky Irken-monster was gaining on them quickly, making the geeky teen run all the more faster.

Dib heard something similar to a gunshot and a beam whizzed through the air as his mind automatically took the liberty of making his body dive to the side, almost slamming himself into the wall.

"What the hell?!"

There was another beam that shot by all three of them, another, and then another.

"Whoever that is can't shoot! They're going to kill us all with that kind of aim!!" Skooge cried. He now had his spidery Irken legs protruding from his pack, letting him run faster than he could by himself.

There was a sound of another gunshot…

…And Dib and Skooge heard two bodies fall to the ground.

* * *

I ran faster and faster, trying to catch up to Dib and whoever he was running with. I could hear GIR squeal with laughter as I realized that I couldn't make it much longer, and my weakness began to make me enraged. I began to shoot wildly, hoping that I would kill the monster that was chasing my brother. If I was going to do anything before I died, it might as well be useful. My vision was blurring again, and I didn't know how much time I would have left.

I gave the gun one more final blast and I heard someone fall. Hoping that it was the monster that I had hit, I stopped running and fell against the wall. My lungs were heaving and I coughed and sputtered, the helpless feeling washing over my body along with pain.

_This is it, oh God… Who knew how bad it hurt…I'll never see anyone again, oh God, what do I do… Damn you for being weak, Gaz, why couldn't you have just held yourself together…?_

I felt myself fighting not to fall asleep as I lay on the cold, sterile ground. I was falling…but where to, exactly? The darkness enveloped my vision and I felt my body give in and succumb.

* * *

Zim stood in the middle of the room, waiting for the attack of the Tallests. The silence in the air was dreadfully heavy, and he didn't know exactly what they were going to do. His thoughts turned for a moment, thinking and wondering where Gaz had gotten to. They had taken her to a cell, he knew that for sure, but he also knew better of her, and realized that she was probably long gone from there. His eyes roamed over the floor, looking at his cast away gun lying heavily on the ground.

He looked around the room again, looking for something to help him. Anything will do, he thought to himself as the awkward silence became louder to all of them. He looked back at the Tallests who seemed not to be moving at all, waiting for them to make their moves.

Purple looked over at Red, who looked back at Purple, and they both exchanged evil smirks. Red hovered over to a control panel and pressed a button and looked over at Zim intently, waiting for whatever it was he hard started to take place. A sudden violent thrust of metal was heard, and giant metal tentacle-like appendages shot out of the walls.

Zim jumped back suddenly, aware of what was happening. They were going to pin him somewhere and cut him in half. He had seen this before. The metal grabbed you, held you in place, and a lazer cut you in half and possibly several other different ways. He darted around the room, trying to avid them at all costs, but they just kept getting closer and closer. He jumped from place to place, annoyed by the Tallests who were now laughing maniacally.

He then remembered about his gun that was lying so carelessly on the floor…the Tallests had never picked it up. He jumped for the gun, picking it up swiftly, and began to shoot wildly, shooting off some of the tentacles. He heard the Tallests stop laughing suddenly, and he heard an alarm go off somewhere and he heard Purple begin to call in guards. Red stood there, watching Zim and his eyes suddenly became wide with horror and Zim began to aim his gun. As if it were in slow motion, Zim aimed and shot, muttering, "See you in hell."

A sudden silence filled the room over the mechanical sounds of the metal tentacle-like appendages failing and corrupting, the alarm going off, and Purple was still shouting orders before he realized that Red was now down on the ground, bleeding profusely from his chest. He stopped suddenly and looked over at his co-ruler, his eyes widening with shock. His head jerked up and looked at Zim, who stood triumphantly amidst the electronic chaos.

"Tell me, Purple," Zim said as he pulled the gun up. "Wasn't it Red the said that I was in no position to demand anything? Because I beg to differ."


	19. I'm Afraid I Can't Let You Do That

I'm back, baby! Enjoy. I'll be writing again tonight after work. :D

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling energy pump through my body along with my blood. The room no longer spun, my heart no longer pounded--I could breathe again.

"Gaz?"

"Go away," I said to whoever it was and rolled over.

"Gaz!"

"Dib, go away before I punch you," I murmured and opened my eyes, looking up. "Dib? Wait… Dib!" I sat up and threw my arms around his shoulders.

"It worked! The antidote worked!" he cried as he hugged me back.

"I guess it did." I said as he helped me up "When did you give it to me? How long was I out for?"

"As soon as you fell down; you've been out for about an hour. I'm not sure where Zim-"

"Oh my God, I forgot about Zim! We were there in the Tallests' room, we were there, Dib, and then… Then they took me away…" I looked around and was surprised to see Skooge, looking like he was in a state of thought. "Skooge… it's been forever since I've seen you!"

He looked up. "Yeah, they try and lock me up every time they get the chance. Obviously this time they'll regret it. You said Zim was with the Tallests?"

"Yeah, and I tried to stay, but they locked me up…" my eyes cast forward towards the ground. "We have to go back for him. We can't leave without him," I looked over at Dib with determination that I hadn't felt for a very long time. He looked determined as well.

"Gaz?" Dib said, cocking an eyebrow at me. "You're not gonna punch me first, then tell me what to do?"

I stopped, letting a smirk creep over my face as I punched him the shoulder. "Let's move."

"Let's not," a voice said from around the corner.

"Wha?" Dib gasped to himself, recognizing the voice immediately. He whirled around and faced the corner to which the voice belonged.

"This is the last straw, Dib. I've had enough of your childish games," Mira said, stepping into view. "No more hiding from me. If you all come with me, maybe we can get by with selling you as slaves instead of having to kill you." Her devilish smile was plastered on her lips while her gun pointed in our direction.

"Mira," I said, bringing my gun to level with hers.

"Gaz, how nice to see you well again," she gave a small pert smile and sarcastically let it fall. "Put down the gun or I shoot for your brother."

"Put down yours or I shoot at you." I looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm afraid you won't-" Mira stopped in mid sentence, her eyes suddenly widening. "Who…?"

"Mira, put down the gun."

I looked up to see who had said it, and my heart jumped from deep down in my chest at the sight of Zim, standing there, his gun in Mira's back.

"Zim?!" she cried, her voice building up a wave of hate that spread through her face. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Funny how things change, isn't it?"

"Get that off of me. I'll shoot both Dib and Gaz if you don't get that gun out of my back."

"Sorry, Mira, but I can't let you do that." And with that, Zim unexpectedly pulled the trigger, then casually put his gun away.

I stood there, thinking that he hadn't actually done it. The shot was so sudden, and I hadn't really expected him to go through with shooting her. After staring at Mira's unconscious body, I looked back up at Zim, seeing that he had a gunshot wound of his own planted in his shoulder. "Zim… what happened…?" was all I could actually get out.

"I'll have to explain later," he said as he grabbed my hand. "Dib, Skooge, we have to run. Whose ship are we taking out of here?"

"Uh… mine," Skooge said, a little flabbergasted at the way Zim had changed.

"Perfect, let's go," he said, starting to run.

...and so the race for home began.


End file.
